


footprints

by delta_trevino



Category: Hunter X Hunter
Genre: Gen, Language of Flowers, Long-Distance Friendship, well i suppose this could be read as romantic or platonic
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-18 06:42:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29729898
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/delta_trevino/pseuds/delta_trevino
Summary: “I’ll think about it,” Killua had said on the phone, smiling. “It’s really far from where I am.”Or, Killua and the art of surprising your best friend.
Relationships: Gon Freecs & Killua Zoldyck
Comments: 7
Kudos: 7





	footprints

**Author's Note:**

> scales of intensity:
> 
> angst: 7/10  
> fluff: 4/10  
> lemon: 0/10
> 
> tw: implied death 
> 
> happy reading!!

_Age: 15_

Killua knows how to walk silently. 

Place the ball of your foot down first with a slightly bent knee. Roll through your feet and transfer the weight to your toes evenly. Walk with uniform steps and balance that matches your breaths. Breath through your nose. 

Sometimes you’ll come across gravel or dried weeds that will crunch under your feet. Cross them quickly. Pay extra attention if there’s snow or water on your shoes because then you’ll leave footprints. 

Killua doesn’t leave footprints today. He’s following Gon from a few blocks behind to surprise him.

They haven’t seen each other in about a year. Killua’s been watching over Alluka, travelling to the Kukan’yu Kingdom’s oldest food stands and picking up odd jobs. From their static-filled conversations in telephone booths across the world, Killua knows Gon’s been training with Melody, one of Kurapika’s friends who works on emotion regulation, and travelled to Meteor City, the Phantom Troupe’s birthplace. 

The two of them can’t send letters since they never have a permanent address and they’re always playing phone tag, so Killua misses Gon. 

He really misses Gon.

But Killua keeps his footsteps quiet as Gon crosses the sunny sidewalks, smiling at all the other pedestrians. 

When they hit a crosswalk, Killua wonders if Gon knows he’s being followed. Gon’s pretty perceptive. But Gon doesn’t blink twice as he checks for cars and then crosses with a skip. 

Gon’s grown in the past year. He might be taller than Killua now. His hair has grown out, curling itself around Gon’s ears and neck. More freckles cross over the bridge of his nose, and he’s got broader shoulders. 

But he still smiles the same and walks the same. With intent, with purpose, and his smile stretches from ear to ear at everyone, making Killua wonder if his cheeks hurt from it. 

Gon turns into a park. Humming a nonsensical tune, he picks the marigolds littering the public field. Some of them are wilted already and some haven’t even bloomed. But he picks them with his right hand, gathering them with his left, and always making sure not to step on the others. Other kids are running in circles, carrying ice cream and flying kites in the sky.

Killua hides behind a tree. There are millions of marigolds on Whale Island. He knows Gon went back there too for a while, to tell Aunt Mito about all his adventures and update her about Ging. He went back after he climbed the world tree, when Alluka stubbornly told him he needed to take a break from training and do some thinking. Good thinking, long and hard. 

Gon had. He’d called Killua one night, frantic and apologetic over that one night in the forest with Pitou, stumbling over his words. 

“I’m sorry, I wasn’t thinking because I missed Kite so much and it was unfair—”

Killua had rubbed his eyes bearily, a little disoriented. “Gon. I know.” 

“I know you know, but I’m sorry Killua. I really am.” Gon had been sincere, a promise in his voice.

“I know you are.” Killua had already forgiven him long ago.

“Still, I want to make it up to you!” Gon had decided, even though the two of them were separated by two oceans and countless towns. 

“Just don’t do that again, okay?” Killua had said practically. “We’re not together, so I won’t be able to help you if you get in trouble again.” Killua knew Gon still had close brushes with death—every hunter did—but now Gon wasn’t blinded by rage anymore. He could take care of himself.

“I haven’t gotten in any trouble, Killua.” Gon had smiled, Killua could hear in through the phone. “Oh, Aunt Mito and Kon say hello, too! Aunt Mito misses you and says you’re welcome to visit any time!” 

Killua had gone to Whale Island around fifteen months ago with Alluka, to give Aunt Mito some rare chocolates from Jappon. Keep her company for a few hours and show Alluka where his best friend grew up. Alluka and Aunt Mito had gotten along well, teasing Killua about his millions of outfits and the laundry he needed to do every day. At that point, Gon was already training with Melody in York New City and Killua missed him terribly on the island. He fed the birds for Gon and taught Alluka how to fish.

“I’ll think about it,” Killua had said on the phone, smiling. “It’s really far from where I am.”

He’d just dropped off Alluka at this fancy boarding school with tight security and a loose curriculum. Although Killua was sure the Zoldycks were keeping an eye on Alluka and Killua every second, he’d like it if Alluka at least got the semblance of freedom. 

At that point, Killua had been about a week’s worth of travel away from Gon, even with a hunter license. 

“Where are you again?” Gon had asked. 

“East Coast of the Kakin Kingdom.” Killua had always wanted to come here, since the ocean was known to be purple here because of a certain salt. And because Illumi had told him never to go there since it was out of the way. Hehe.

“The purple ocean?” Gon had been the one to tell him about it first, actually. The two of them had thought it was something out of a fairy tale.

“Yeah. You’d like it,” Killua had said. “It’s pretty under the sunset.”

“I’m coming to see you.” 

“No, Gon, you don’t have to do that,” Killua had insisted. “Let’s meet in the middle.” 

“Nope, I’m leaving for the Coast right now.” Killua had been able to hear Gon rustling on the other side of the phone. “I’ll be there in around five days.” 

“Gon!” That would’ve been an incredible feat, and probably unsafe. “Let’s meet in York New.”

“No! I want to see the purple ocean!” 

“Gon—” 

“What’s your address?” 

And so Gon came to see him.

He’s right there, just beyond Killua’s reach. Gon’s walking with too many marigolds in his hands, a few fluttering behind him when the wind snatches them away. He probably got them for Killua. Killua’s heart joins the marigolds in the wind at the thought. Gon’s looking for Killua’s rented apartment, which is a few blocks away. 

Killua wonders what Gon will do when he realizes Killua’s been tailing him the entire time. Maybe he’ll jump up, and then swat Killua with the flowers, or let out a shout of surprise and trip over his own feet. Killua grins from a few paces behind Gon. 

When Gon sees him as he turns the corner, he doesn’t do any of the above. He smiles, softly, delicately, and crouches down. 

“I’m sorry I haven’t been here in so long, Killua.” 

Gon places the marigolds near the grave. Ah, they were for him. 

Killua's eyes crinkle with smile lines.

“You’re right,” Gon says, shading his eyes. “The purple ocean is pretty.” 

Killua nods. 

“I’m sorry if my calls are bothering you, but I’ll keep calling until they recycle your number.” 

Killua smiles at Gon. It's not like he can do anything.

“I miss you.” Gon’s voice is tiny. The wind shifts the marigolds. "I'm sorry."

Killua wants to tell him, yes, he misses Gon so much it hurts, and it's not his fault, and Killua would sacrifice himself again if it meant Gon was alive. But Killua can't speak to the living. Only look after them and smile.

So instead Killua walks as close as he can to Gon as Gon watches purple the ocean, minding his own feet and Gon’s tears of regret. 

It’s fine, Gon won’t hear him, because Killua knows how to walk silently. 

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading! ily
> 
> [carrd!!](https://deltatrevino.carrd.co/)
> 
> explanation: killua is a ghost the entire time and he’s following gon. killua died protecting gon from kite and pitou, and gon went back to whale island to grieve, melody helped him with therapy. he calls killua’s number and talks to the ghost of killua. killua spent most of his time looking after alluka as a ghost. 
> 
> the purple ocean is a slight reference to friendship. killua always wanted it, illumi said he couldn’t have it, gon first told him about it. 
> 
> and killua physically can’t leave footprints. he’s a ghost.


End file.
